When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Hi all - I am new to this board and am looking for a car, have owned several olds over the years. I found this very expensive W30 online, wondering if anyone on here knows anything about this specific car? One would think someone here might know who originally restored it/any background info? Also, doesn't seem to have actual documentation that it is indeed a W30 which would make it very expensive for an undocumented car. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thank you and Happy Near Year to all!
While I MIGHT have considered that the power brakes were added in the resto, the ad clearly says this:
Factory power front disc and rear drum brakes
Also, that "GM Heritage Center documentation" doesn't actually say that the car is a W-30 (and couldn't, since those records don't survive). For over $100K asking price, the car and documentation should be rock solid.
?
Anyone have a pic of the correct spoiler?
Mine flew off out of my truck and landed on the highway.....
My "spoiler/ wing" has 6 bolts, but i had to buy a shittly fitting aftermarket trunk lid and only lined up 4 holes..
Really ******* unbelievable, my body guy forgot the trunk pin stripes, so i boxed it up, wiezled in the bed of my work truck, tied down, blew out of the bed like a beer can.......
Ok so that one is a definite no go. How about this one? Seems better, although also not documented but maybe for the right price is a good one. Not crazy about the vinyl top though, I would assume removing it would require new paint?
Very nice car, but I wonder if the core support is original to this car
Amen. Some of the details point to the running gear being transferred to a pristine body with aftermarket hood, wiring, etc.
I'm not completely sure on each of the following and these are nits. However the price is for a car without nits.
1. Fisher body tag rivets don't look original
2. Aft edge of under-hood screen should be bound
3. Hood fit is better than factory (could be a Thornton hood)
4. Master cylinder should have bleeder screws
5. Corrugated wire conduit instead of vinyl wrap (driver side under-hood)
6. Heavily pitted axle but unpitted body and frame
7. W27 axle cover
Ok so that one is a definite no go. How about this one? Seems better, although also not documented but maybe for the right price is a good one. Not crazy about the vinyl top though, I would assume removing it would require new paint?
If this is the same car that used to belong to a member of the http://motorcityrockets.com years ago, then try to track down the prior owner first. Very nice car, but I talked to him back in the 90’s at the Oldsmobile Centenial Celebration and he was openly stating that it started as a 442 not a W-30.
Amen. Some of the details point to the running gear being transferred to a pristine body with aftermarket hood, wiring, etc.
I'm not completely sure on each of the following and these are nits. However the price is for a car without nits.
1. Fisher body tag rivets don't look original
2. Aft edge of under-hood screen should be bound
3. Hood fit is better than factory (could be a Thornton hood)
4. Master cylinder should have bleeder screws
5. Corrugated wire conduit instead of vinyl wrap (driver side under-hood)
6. Heavily pitted axle but unpitted body and frame
7. W27 axle cover
You bring up many good points. The car has definitely been completely apart and restored. The cowl tag rivets sure look like repops, as the originals would have had seam sealer in and on them. Of course, if the body had been blasted or dipped you'd have wanted to pull that tag off anyway to avoid damage. The underside of the hood sure looks too nice to be an original. The fact that the M/C is bolted to a power booster is more troubling to me than the lack of bleeder screws. The W27 cover was a factory option in 1971.
If this is the same car that used to belong to a member of the http://motorcityrockets.com years ago, then try to track down the prior owner first. Very nice car, but I talked to him back in the 90’s at the Oldsmobile Centenial Celebration and he was openly stating that it started as a 442 not a W-30.
Thanks for the comment, any idea how I would track that person down? The current owner states that it was a North Carolina car prior to him buying it.
Hoping Joe and others can point out the good and bad. Not documented but seems to be a quality restore and seems priced lower on other sites. Thanks all.
Gateway Classic Cars reputation is questionable, sold a car thru them in Dearborn Mi. Would not recommend them, check there reviews. For such a high dollar car, sure seems to have a lot of questionable issues. Have a inspection by a Olds W specialist, money well spent.
Well, from a cursory look at the photos, I at least see correct manual brakes, correct core support, correct notched valve covers, and either extremely nice original red inner fenders or a set of the much better repros. Frankly, it's hard to tell from the photos, but the driver side looks "worn" enough to be original while the passenger side looks a little too new. Hard to tell. The washer tank should be on the passenger side, but they have what appears to be the dealer-installed overflow tank (they were not factory but you could get them from the dealer). While it's a nit that takes seconds to fix, it bugs me that neither car has the passenger side breather clocked correctly for alignment of the metal tube to the air cleaner.
I think the bigger problem with this car is the seller. Let's just say that Gateway doesn't exactly have a stellar reputation.
They went a little overboard on the grease pencil marks.
To me, that's a numbers matching 442, nicely restored, with some w-30 parts. Numbers engine is nice, but it needs real documentation for that kind of money. To me, that's a 50k car, not a 95k car. They, of course, will be insulted by such a statement, so one can not deal with them, as they cannot provide documentation for a car that has none.
Commenting on second car: " If marked as such, the Owner states, this vehicles as numbers matching and/or original mileage. It has not been verified by Gateway Classic Cars. As such Gateway Classic Cars is not guaranteeing the authenticity of this claim. Buyer is encouraged to verify this information on their own, prior to purchase. "
Commenting on second car: " If marked as such, the Owner states, this vehicles as numbers matching and/or original mileage. It has not been verified by Gateway Classic Cars. As such Gateway Classic Cars is not guaranteeing the authenticity of this claim. Buyer is encouraged to verify this information on their own, prior to purchase. "
That says "run!" to me.
That says "too many lawyers in the world" to me.
Seriously, every single classic car dealer and auction house has some form of that disclaimer. While I am not defending Gateway, the reality is that none of these hucksters are experts in the cars that they sell and frankly I wouldn't believe them if they claimed that they were. Heck, if you took the time to actually read the licensing agreements on your software, we wouldn't be having this discussion because you wouldn't have any software on any of your devices!
Anti-spin for that corporate 8.5" axle is trivially easy to install. The units grow on trees.
I agree, but for the money they're asking for that car it's ridiculous that the restorer didn't spend the small amount of money and time to install one.
I know this is way off topic, but most dealers are good at selling cars only. They don't know the cars they are selling.
Here is an example of an extremely expensive W30. Whoever removed the headlight bezels to clean them forgot to check with this Forum on the correct orientation before putting them back on:
Hoping Joe and others can point out the good and bad. Not documented but seems to be a quality restore and seems priced lower on other sites. Thanks all.
